Kidney function, protein and stage
Chronic kidney disease is graded in stages based on how well your kidneys filter blood, measured by a blood test called eGFR, and how much protein leaks into your urine. Insurers ask for both. Your GP surgery checks these regularly if you have CKD, so recent results should be on your record.
Underwriters care about the trend as much as the latest number. Function that has held steady for several years tells a calmer story than function that is falling, even if today's figures look similar.
- Your CKD stage and when it was diagnosed
- Recent eGFR results and the trend
- Urine protein test results
- The cause, if known
- Blood pressure and diabetes control
- Kidney specialist follow-up
Why the cause shapes the decision
CKD has many causes. High blood pressure and diabetes are common ones, and the insurer will assess those conditions alongside your kidneys. Inherited conditions such as polycystic kidney disease, inflammation of the kidney filters, or damage from past infections each carry their own considerations.
Sometimes a slightly low eGFR simply reflects age, and your GP has recorded early CKD without any cause. Underwriters see this often and may treat it lightly if your results are stable and there is no protein in the urine.
Outcomes for different stages
Early, stable CKD with little or no protein loss can lead to standard terms or a small loading on life cover. Moderate disease usually brings a larger loading. Advanced disease, a rapid decline or dialysis often leads to a postponement or decline with many insurers, though some will look at individual cases.
After a successful kidney transplant, some insurers will consider life cover once your new kidney has been working well for a period. Critical illness policies normally cover kidney failure, so with CKD that part is often excluded or declined. Income protection depends on how the condition affects your work.
Your results speak for you
The insurer may ask your GP or kidney specialist for a report. If your answers match what the records show, the decision tends to be quicker. Gaps or understated results are likely to surface, now or when your family claims.
If your GP has recorded CKD but never mentioned it to you, check your NHS app before applying. It is common to find an early stage listed after routine blood tests. Declare it as it appears on your record, and add any context you know, such as a repeat test that came back normal or a note that your GP is simply monitoring it.
How Hi Tomorrow helps with kidney disease
Insurers differ a lot in how they treat CKD, especially at the middle stages and after transplant. We know which insurers on our panel are more willing to look at your actual results and trend, and we approach them first.
We help you collect recent blood and urine results and explain the offer in plain words. If life cover with critical illness is not possible, we can look at life cover on its own. Where your function has been steady for a long time, we make sure the underwriter sees the whole run of results and not just the latest one.